Seattle Mariners make 'free-agent addition,' adopt rescue dog to help postseason push

The Seattle Mariners have an extra pair of paws to help them during their playoff push.

The team announced Saturday it had adopted a 4-year-old mixed Labrador named Tucker. The rescue dog will be a regular fixture around T-Mobile Park and for occasional road games, according to the Mariners' official website.

The club created a Twitter account for Tucker, showing the pup playing fetch in the clubhouse, hanging out in manager Scott Servais' office and running up the dugout steps to the field.

NIGHTENGALE'S NOTEBOOK: No, the Angels weren't trading Shohei Ohtani. A post-MLB trade deadline Q&A.

Tucker was rescued from OkanDogs in Cashmere, Washington. Servais and his wife have also volunteered for the organization in the past.

According to the website, the Mariners were in the process of adopting a dog for more than a year before finding the right fit in Tucker.

MORE BASEBALL NEWS: Despite Max Scherzer's objections, MLB's PitchCom system has become 'second-nature' to most

“He got scouted very heavily,” Servais told the website. “We ran people in there, and we cross-checked them. Jack ran in there. We got big-time numbers on this dog. So he went high in the Draft. We're happy to have him as a free-agent addition to our club. Really good. This guy will fetch and play with the guys all day long.

"You'll see him out here running around the field here the next few days. He's got the clubhouse covered right now.”

Entering play Sunday, the Mariners (58-51) occupied the third and final playoff spot in the American League wild-card standings, although they were tied with the fourth-place Baltimore Orioles (56-51) in the loss column. The Cleveland Guardians, Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox were all within four games of the Mariners for the final postseason position.

The Mariners made some significant moves at the deadline, including the acquisition of ace Luis Castillo from the Cincinnati Reds. Seattle hopes the addition of Tucker will also have a positive effect on team morale down the stretch.

“[Tucker] just got activated today and will be a great addition to our team,” Servais said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Seattle Mariners adopt rescue dog to help postseason push